Nourishing Nibbles

These are a delicious, nutrition-packed granola bar sort of thing. Great for breakfast (cookies for breakfast!), snacks, or road food. As a gluten-free eater, these have saved my life while travelling, so I always try to keep some with me.

Those familiar with WAP/NT (Weston A Price/Nourishing Traditions) will notice that I soak my grains and seeds; this is to both release enzyme inhibitors (phytic acid) and to WAKE UP the food, turning it into a living food. I do turn around and kill it in the oven (heh) but it's still an important step if you want your food to have more available nutrients. The soaked millet and oats are both 15% protein, the sunflower seeds are 25% protein. Millet and Oats have Vitamins B, C and E, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus and Amino Acids. . .good stuff, right??

Before I begin, please know that nothing here really needs to be measured, and you can treat nearly all the ingredients as optional; put in what you like, leave out what you don't, come up with additions of your own!

This is a VERY EASY recipe, which I am typing out in detail, so it looks like a lot, but it's not, okay? ;) It's a friendly, forgiving kitchen-sink-type recipe. :)

Okay, so you start this recipe the night before you want to finish it. Start with 2 cups of whole grain millet in a large bowl, and cover with water. Stir to make sure there aren't any air pockets. You want this to soak for 8-12 hours, so I find overnight to be easiest.

In the morning, strain the millet and rinse. Then put it into a pot with 6 cups of water and cook it, uncovered, on low, stirring occasionally. This is like making oatmeal or any type of porridge. Add a cup of raisins and a cup of dried cranberries (or whatever dried fruit you like) to the water, so they will rehydrate and flavor the millet at the same time.

As soon as your millet is cooking, put about a cup and a half of rolled oats and about a cup of sunflower seeds in a bowl and cover with water. These will soak for about 30 minutes.

(Note: If you are in a hurry for a healthy snack and don't have time to soak millet, oats, or seeds, no biggie! It's more nutritious when soaked, but will still be healthy and yummy without that step.)

Grate about 3 carrots and 1 apple. I do mine by hand on a box grater that has a medium-fine side (not zest or chocolate, not cheese. . .it's sort of wavy and I'm not sure what it's supposed to be for, technically), so I don't cook them. If you only have a larger-holed cheese grater, you may want to sweat the carrots in a pan before adding them to the dough. Not necessary, but it's nice to keep all the ingredients soft. Put in a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of your stand mixer if you want to use that.

Also optional at this point are grated zucchini or squash. In my last batch (seen above), I even added a handful of leftover steamed broccoli, cut up very finely. Probably about half a cup of whatever veggies you like.

When the fruit/millet's water is mostly absorbed and it looks like porridge (not too thick, not watery either), remove from heat and let it start to cool.

Drain the oats and seeds and add to the carrot/apple/veggie mixture.

Add 1/2 cup shredded coconut, vanilla (I use about 3 Tbs. vanilla powder, because I enjoy the flavor much more than the liquid, but use whatever you have, or omit vanilla and use 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg or allspice, for a totally different feel), 1/2 tsp. sea salt, at least 1 cup chopped walnuts (I use more, but I like them very nutty. . .also, use whatever nuts you like, if walnuts aren't your favorite). Can also add half a cup of rapadura and/or maple syrup (with both, they really taste more like cookies, which might be a good way to introduce them to finicky eaters. just cut back a little on the sugar with each batch, and soon the plump raisins will be enough sweetness all on their own). In my last batch I also added the fermented fruit (chopped) and some of the grains from my water kefir.

Now add your partially-cooled fruit/millet mixture and thoroughly combine.

At this point, see what your mixture looks like. Is it dry and crumbly, or wet and soupy? It will really depend on what you've chosen to add and what the consistency of your millet was when you stopped cooking it. If your dough is dry and crumbly, you will want to add an egg (or possibly 2). You want it to be pretty wet, but not soupy. If it's too wet, you can add more rolled oats (just do a handful at a time until it's a good consistency). 

I use an ice cream scoop to drop the dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. After the whole sheet is full, run your hand under water and press the back of your fingers over each dough mound to flatten into cookie shapes. The water keeps the dough from sticking to your fingers. :)

Next time I make these, maybe I'll try to take photos of the whole process, in case there are questions.

Pop into a 350* oven for about 45-60 minutes. Again, it will depend on what you added/how wet or dry. I have made both ways; dry dough creates a yummy but crumbly cookie, wet dough creates an extra-delicious cookie that's moist on the inside and crispy on the outside, and travels better. Remove from the oven when they *just* start to brown. I prefer these warm, so underbaking a bit is nice, if you plan on re-heating each time you want a snack (I heat mine in the toaster oven, and it's like having freshly-baked cookies each time).

To print out, here's the basic ingredients:

2 cups whole grain millet (soaked 8-12 hours and then cooked into a porridge with 6 cups water)

1/2 to 1 cup raisins (re-hydrate in the millet water)

1/2 to 1 cup dried cranberries  (re-hydrate in the millet water)

1 1/2 cups rolled oats, soaked 30 min.

1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked 30 min.
3-4 carrots, shredded (sweat in a pan over low heat if coarsely shredded)

1 apple, shredded

1 zucchini/squash/other veg, shredded

1/2 cup shredded coconut (not sweetened!)

3 Tbsp. vanilla powder (or regular liquid, if that's what you have, OR, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg or allspice for spiced cookies)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

at least 1 cup chopped walnuts (or whatever nuts you like)
1/2 cup rapadura or maple syrup (or brown sugar, if that's all you have)

Makes a lot. . .about 40-50 cookies. :)


I forgot to say that I normally freeze most of them. They are delicious, but even I can't eat 40 before they go moldy. :D (they heat in the toaster oven marvelously; like eating freshly baked!)